Blessings and Curses of Soccer

First day of the new soccer season. There is always much to look forward to. One of those things is not being woken up by my son at 6:30 am because he is too excited to sleep any longer. However, I always look forward to his elated expression as he runs his heart out on the field. A new addition this year is his fiercely determined face, which he wears when he's booking it toward the ball. They don't allow goalies yet this season, but our son was able to prevent two goals, one of which he prevented with an awesome steal, the other with a massive kick sending the ball far to the opposite sideline. I have also learned to keep my competitive spirit at bay and just let him have fun. I love playing with my daughter on the side line as we watch the game. And I love the post-game Dad v. the kids game just before we head home. Tonight the kids were as happy as I've ever seen them, except for the baby, of course, who didn't get to play any soccer. We love soccer season despite the occasional unwelcome wake-up intrusions.